Whether you’ve moved into your first home, or an Airbnb owner, there are a lot of things you’ll need to learn to conquer your household chores. One of the things you need to know is the correct care and washing methods for your comforter or duvet. It’s easy to overlook the comforter or duvet when it comes to laundry day, but there are some essential things that you need to keep in mind about how often you need to clean it and how to get the best results. Continue reading the article to find out!
Comforter vs. Duvet
People often times refer to comforters and duvets as if they are the same thing, but they are quite different. So, let’s start by clarifying the difference. A comforter is a quilted blanket, which is filled with either a synthetic fiber or down to make it warm. Comforters are typically sold with matching sheets, pillow cases and shams, which makes it easy to assemble a coordinated look for your room. A duvet is essentially a generic comforter—often a solid color—which slips into a duvet cover. Duvets are available with different fill levels, so it is appropriate for the season. For example, you can opt for an all-season duvet, or there are thicker duvets for winter. Duvet covers are interchangeable, so you can change the color and style of your bedding with little effort.
Importance of Washing a Comforter or Duvet
Here’s the bad news: We shed 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells per hour. Its the dust that collects in your linens and around your house. This is a problem, because dust mites are attracted to and eat the dead skin cells. Just remember, we spend 1/3 of our lives in our bed, so it’s essential to keep it clean and fresh! So, it’s a good habit to be washing your sheets weekly or bi-weekly.
Luckily, if it lays on top of your linens, you don’t need to wash a comforter that often. Generally, it’s advised that a comforter only needs to be cleaned once per season. By getting a comforter professionally cleaned around four times a year, you’ll enjoy a clean and fresh bed that’s free of any dust or harmful allergens. If you have a duvet, you can regularly wash the cover with your linens and get by with just cleaning the actual duvet a couple times per year.
Nonetheless, as we all know, life isn’t always perfect. If there is any spillage on top of a comforter or duvet, take action. It’s important to get it cleaned as soon as possible. This will take care of any pesky permanent stains or mold growing inside the cover.
Best Washing Techniques & Care Instructions
Always check the comforter's care instructions before washing it, as each one is different and may require a specific detergent or washing technique. Some comforters may be “dry clean only,” so it’s essential to drop them off at a trustworthy dry cleaner.
The best way to wash a comforter is with cold water to prevent any color bleeding. Following this, put it in the dryer on low heat to limit wrinkles. A great tip is to add some tennis balls to the dryer to make the comforter nice and fluffy.
Generally, a down-filled comforter will take a lot longer to dry. If you don’t dry a comforter thoroughly, then you could be stuck with mold. That’s why it’s recommended to use a dryer, but many comforters are too large to fit into home dryers. Head to a laundromat and take advantage of their commercial dryers to make sure your comforter is dry and ready to go!
If you want to make sure that your comforter is washed correctly, it’s a great idea to use a professional laundry service with experience in this area. Then you can rest easy know that your comforter is in good hands.
WaveMAX Laundry
The passionate and professional team at WaveMAX Laundry offers a variety of laundry services—from laundry drop-off, dry cleaning, and pick-up and delivery services. Our laundry room has large washers that can easily handle large comforters and duvets. In fact, we even have a dedicated Comforter Cycle on our largest washers. That means the machine uses more water to do a thorough clean and has a longer spin cycle, so the comforter can dry more quickly.
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